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Educating people where they live and work about horticultural best practices
Master Gardeners are University of Minnesota-trained volunteers whose job is to educate the public about a variety of horticulture subjects using readily-available, up-to-date research-based information. This educational effort is designed to enhance the public's quality of life and to promote good stewardship of the environment.
There are more than 100 Master Gardeners who live in Washington County and volunteer several thousand hours each year to educate others. Activities range from teaching Community Education classes, diagnosing plant problems, and answering questions at “Ask a Master Gardener events, on the phone, or by the Internet to helping communities with their environmental issues such as water quality, invasive species, and noxious weeds.
Posted by bart in About Us + What do Master Gardeners do?
We’ve identified eight Core Projects which best serve our mission, and focus the majority of our volunteer time each year on these projects.
Continue reading "What do Master Gardeners do in Washington County?" »
Posted by bart in About Us + What do Master Gardeners do?
Proper pruning is no more work than poor pruning and a little knowledge can go a long way to making you feel good about doing it right. There are several reasons to prune trees and shrubs including improving health and appearance, shaping young plants, renewing older shrubs, and fixing safety issues.
When to Prune
As a general rule the best time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs is in late winter or early spring when they are dormant. Pruning at this time allows you to see the shape and interior of the tree so you can see what you are doing and there is less chance of disease or insect problems. Dead branches can be removed at anytime.
There are some exceptions.
Continue reading "PRUNING TREES & SHRUBS: KNOWING WHEN & HOW" »
Posted by bart in Information on Popular Topics
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Do you have a shelf full of outdated or partially used garden chemicals in your home? Most gardeners do and because some of the products can be hazardous to people, pets and the environment, risk as well as nuisance accompany their storage.
Fortunately, it is not necessary to spray, dust, spread or broadcast pesticides to manage most garden insects and diseases. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a research-based approach that can reduce insect and disease damage to acceptable levels in most gardens with minimum or no pesticide use.
Continue reading "ABOUT THOSE GARDEN CHEMICALS" »
Posted by bart in Information on Popular Topics
If you've got questions, we've got answers! Here are several ways you can easily access yard and garden information.
Continue reading "Have a Gardening Question?" »
Posted by mgweb in Have a Question?